


TRY

by DrarryIsMyAllTimeOTP



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Eating Disorders, F/M, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, Not Epilogue Compliant, POV Harry Potter, POV Hermione Granger, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Romance, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:26:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22684687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrarryIsMyAllTimeOTP/pseuds/DrarryIsMyAllTimeOTP
Summary: Try. That's all you have to do. Try to carry on.But how hard is that when nothing else makes sense? Why keep on living when there are no more reasons to?Try. Such a simple word, but so difficult to do.When Harry doesn't want to try anymore, his life force, his reason to be, puts her foot down and wills him to keep trying.Going back to Hogwarts was never his idea, he didn't care anymore. He didn't even care about not beign able to go back home.What at first was a form for Hermione to keep an eye on him turns out to be not only his salvation, but also hers.Trying, suddenly, doesn't seem as hard as it once did.Being part of a family had always been Harry's soft spot, and when he finds a new family in his fellow schoolmates, he finds a new reason to keep carrying on.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Hermione Granger/Blaise Zabini, Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood, Theodore Nott/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 5
Kudos: 31





	1. PROLOGUE: Why Keep Trying

**Author's Note:**

> Good day to everyone,
> 
> Let me introduce myself a little bit.  
> I'm a new author, and I had never once written any kind of story, short nor long. If you find any error or something that you don't like you are very welcome to comment, as I will take every little piece of advice that I can get, because as I am new, I am not the best, and also I do not know how to get a beta and for that this story has not been revised by anyone.  
> Furthermore, if being new for me was not enough, my mother tongue is not English, but Catalan, therefore, there may be some mistakes in the expressions used or in the spelling, so please forgive me in advance.
> 
> You will find that this story is both written in Harry's POV and Hermione's POV, it will vary depending on the chapter, but never within it. It is not written in which POV you are seeing the story, but it can always be deciphered in the first paragraph. If it brings any confusion, feel free to tell me, and I'll fix it.
> 
> Without further ado, may I leave you with the story, with the hopes that you will enjoy it and will keep wanting more, 'cause if I can promise something is that there will be more, hopefully soon, even though I am studying at the university and I might not have the time to do it very regularly, and for that, I ask forgiveness in advance.
> 
> With all my Love,  
> Jem

Everywhere he looked there was nothing but wreckage, endless hallways full of runes. His first home, destroyed. His only family, gone. There was no more hope for him. Yes, Voldemort had been destroyed, the war had ended, but what was the meaning of carrying on if there was nothing else for him, if he once again had no parents. Sirius, dead, and all because of him. Remus, dead. And Severus, the man who he had always despised but had found to be the bravest man to have ever walked on earth, was dead too. Everything, every death was because of him, because he had not been fast enough, smart enough, he had not been able to find the Horcruxes earlier nor been faster to destroy them. He had hidden in a tent while everyone else braved this war without him and, in the end, it had all been for nothing.

He suddenly lifted his head and realised that he had arrived at the Astronomy Tower. He did not know how he had arrived there, but he did not find the will to care anymore. Being in this tower always brought to his mind memories of the day that Dumbledore had died, how he had fallen down the Tower into his death, and once again he was brought to his remorseful thoughts. Dumbledore's death had been so simple, so sad. A quick Avada Kedavra and a quick fall and everything had stopped for him. What a simple death for such a powerful man. It filled him with impotency to think of his death because it was another one that he could have avoided, another place where he had failed; if he had not been trapped under his cloak he could have done something, been better, and Dumbledore might still be alive.

Harry did not want to keep feeling guilty. He was tired of it. Tired of living. He did not want to keep trying. He did not want to have to put on a brave face for everyone else and keep being on the spotlight. He was so tired. He just wanted everything to stop. Why keep going on if there were no more reasons to? Voldemort had been his reason for being, he had dictated all his life, from the very beginning, and now he was gone. He had no more purpose in life, he had fulfilled his destiny; so why keep trying?

Suddenly being in the Astronomy Tower did not seem such a hardship, he saw it as his way out. A way of being with his family once and for all. He had tasted a bit of happiness back in the forest, when he had seen his parents, Sirius and Remus, all so welcoming, so happy to see him and to have him with them. Now that Voldemort was gone, he could take the train and keep going on. There were no more reasons to stay back. He had been so tempted to go with Dumbledore when he had seen him at King’s Cross Station, but he had had to come back, he had to kill Voldemort. But that was done, so there were no more reasons to be here. He could just be another name in the long list of deaths, no one would pay hiss passing much mind. No one would miss him. Everyone had lost too much to miss him. With his mind set, he walked towards the edge of the tower.

"Mum, Dad, I’m coming home."

He said his last words, took his last breath, and made his last step forward.

He felt the air in his face, accompanying him one last time through his travel, like so many times before. He felt nothing but happiness as he fell, nothing but a deep sense of peacefulness. He was going to meet his parents. He was going to live with them. He would be home, with Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Fred, Dumbledore, and all those who had perished at the hands of the Dark Lord, and he could not feel more relieved.

The floor was approaching at high speed, when suddenly everything slowed down and he heard in the distance someone shouting -" _Arresto Momentum_ "-. He recognized the spell. He recognized the feeling of falling slower, and he prayed with all his will that it was too late, that they could not help him, that he would die.

He was still praying when, suddenly, all went black.

~*~*~

* * *

~*~*~

Bright light filled his vision. Light as bright as when he had been with Dumbledore in King's Cross. Had he made it? Had he managed to die? Could it be possible that he was finally free? He heard a feminine voice around him and, with a choked voice, he managed to say a strangled -"Mum?"-. Something was not right. His voice had barely come out, and it had hurt so much to say it. Being dead was not supposed to hurt and he realized that everything about him hurt. Did that mean that he was still alive? Could it be that his torture continued?

He could hear muffled voices all around him and, suddenly, he distinguished on a well-known voice:

"Shush now Harry, do not force your voice and do not make me induce you with a Sleeping-Draught, please just be quiet for now."

He tried to nod his head to Madam Pomfrey, Hogwarts Matron, but he found that the movement was to much a struggle, so he decided to just stay put. Even though he tried, his head could not stop wondering about who could have saved him and, most importantly, why. Why, when all he wanted in the whole world was to die, had someone decided to stop him, why had someone decided to save someone so unworthy, someone who had brought nothing but pain to everyone. He could not get his head around the reason why anyone would want him alive. Suddenly, all became clear as he heard the shriek of his sister, in all but blood, the one who had been with him every step of the way.

"HARRY!! Oh, Harry, you are finally awake, I was so worried! Don't you ever try to do something like that again. You cannot imagine the heart attack that you gave me and Ron when we saw you falling off the Astronomy Tower. I don't know how we managed to stop you, but thankfully we did. Harry, don't you pull a stunt like that ever again! Everyone has been so worried!"

"E-everyone? W-w-what do you mean e-everyone?"- He managed to choke out through all the pain he felt.

"What do I mean everyone? The whole Weasley family and all your friends, of course!"

"But w-why would t-t-they worry? Why would a-a-anyone worry? No one c-c-cares about m-me, I've b-brought nothing but p-pain."

"Oh, Harry no, that's not true! Everyone loves you, and no one could bear losing you, losing another person. After all that we've been through we now deserve to live freely and truly."

He was about to respond that he did not want to live, that he was tired of it when suddenly Madam Pomfrey was back.

"Miss Granger! I won't have you causing pain to my patient by making him speak, whatever your intentions are. So if you cannot behave I will have to ask you to leave his side."

"I'm so sorry Madam Pomfrey, I was just so worried for him..."

"As we all were, Miss Granger, as we all were..."

At hearing those words, Harry could not believe that so many people, and even Madam Pomfrey, had worried about him. As he was thinking about what he percieved as unbelievable, he started to feel more and more tired, and he went back to the realm of sleep with just one thought in his mind: "Maybe I should try, try to live for all of them and in the end, I may be able to live for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this short Prologue.  
> Every comment is welcome, even if it is to tell me you enjoyed this chapter, which I hope, or to give me some recommendations.  
> And please, if anyone knows how to get a Beta, could you please tell me? 'Cause I'm in serious need of one.
> 
> I hope that I can soon post the next chapter, hopefully it will be this weekend, but if it is not then, it'll be along next week.
> 
> See you soon,  
> Jem


	2. CHAPTER 1: A Little Spark of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone!  
> I'm so sorry for the delay... I tried to have it done before but life and school work got on the way.  
> From now on I'll try to be more constant and try to post every four days or so, though I cannot promise anything.
> 
> Love,  
> Jem

The next time he opened his eyes he realized that he no longer was in the Hospital Wing, but that he had been moved into a private room. Furthermore, he did not feel as much pain as before, he felt much better. When he was about to call for someone, because he was alone, he saw Madam Pomfrey come through the door of his room.

“Oh, good, you are awake! Tell me, Mr. Potter, how are you feeling?”

“I’m good Madam Pomfrey. I don’t hurt as much as before.”

“Perfect! Then, if you are not against it, there are some people who would like to see you, as they have been worried since you woke up the last time.”

“What do you mean since I woke up? How long have I been asleep, Madam Pomfrey?”

“You’ve been sleeping for five days. That’s why we were so worried, but I suppose that it was your body’s way of healing.”

“Oh, I thought that I had only been asleep for a day… Can you tell them to come in, please?”

“Of course, dear, I’ll go fetch them right now.”

He was once again left alone in his room and wondering who would want to see him. Would it be just Hermione like the othher time, or would more people come? In reality, he did not care much for how many people came, he wanted to be left alone, but on the other side, he did not want them to keep suffering for his wellbeing, so he would endure this meeting, and then he would ask Madam Pomfrey to let him go home, so he could be alone at last.

A few minutes had passed when he, once again, heard the sound of the door opening. He looked up and saw not only Hermione, but also the entirety of the Weasley Family. He was surprised to see so many people who cared for him, but once again, Hermione had already told him so, so why was it so hard to believe that he was cared for?

He spent a whole hour talking to the Weasley Family. They berated him for doing what he did, although they said that they understood and, strangely, Harry believed them. These were hard times for everyone and grieve was no stranger to anyone. Throughout the talk Harry started to remember what it was like to have a family; after all, the Weasley’s were the first family that had accepted him. He also started to remember what it was like to be cared for. But it was still hard to see a future for himself, he did not fit. Even though the Weasleys were there for him, he still could not feel that he truly belonged, they were not his true family, he felt like he was just a stray they had picked. When they finally left, he was left alone with Hermione. She was the only person who could see as his true family, his sister, a person who he could trust with his whole heart and without any doubt. He loved her, and she was a little bright spark in his dark existence, the only important reason to keep going and to keep trying. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Hermione suddenly broke it and said something which Harry did most certainly not expect.

“Harry, when you're leaving here I’m coming home with you.”

“What?! I thought that you would be living with the Weasleys now that you finally are with Ron… Is Ron coming too, then?”

“No, no, it will be just me. I suppose Ron will stay with his family. He and I… well we tried to… but we realized that it was just the spark of the moment that made us act, and that we had distanced ourselves too much to make it work, so we decided to leave it as friends…"

“But I thought that you wanted to be with him, you were so devastated when he left… and then when he destroyed the Horcrux it showed us together and it made him so jealous that I thought…”

“Yes, I know what you mean, I thought so too. But I realized that we did not have that chemistry anymore, he wanted to give a shot to our relationship, but I couldn’t. Those months that we were in the forest without him, it changed me, and that change is something that cannot be undone, it is too late…”

“I get it ‘Mione, I do. Just like I could never go back with Ginny because it feels like we had to grow too quickly. You and I have had to go through too much, and I’m not saying that it has not been hard for the others, because it has, but I feel that the relationship that we had with one another will never be the same, my feelings have changed too much for them to be the same…”

Hermione didn’t respond, there was no need to. They both knew that they had gone through while in the run had changed them too much. He still felt as though he should have done more, but he could not denay that those months had marred him forever. Living in cramed places had never been unknown to him, but at least while with the Dursleys he could know when the next meal would be; however, while in the run, they never knew if they would be able to eat that day, they didn’t know where they would be the next, or if they could ever stop running. Every day was full of uncertainties, and they never knew if there would be a next one or if it would be the last.

They spent a few hours more together, just in the company of one another. There was no need for words, not anymore. It was another perk of having lived together for so long. You just knew when the other just needed the company, without anything to be said.

They spent the following week like this, in the company of one another, and sometimes with the visit of some other friend. Most nights Hermione stayed. Nightmares didn’t come as much with her by his side, and if they came she was there to hold him, just like he was there for her. At the end of his second week after the day the war ended, Madam Pomfrey let him leave home, and as promised, Hermione came with him.

The first day there was hard, truly hard. There were too many sad memories in that house, not only form Sirius, but also from their days in the run; but they had nowhere else to go so they stayed. That first night, they both woke up screaming and crying several times, but every time, they were there for the other. Days were not easy for neither of them, but nights were the worst. The good part was that, at the end of the day, they still had each other and, even though it could be hard sometimes and they always missed their lost ones, knowing that the other was there was usually enough.

Of course, there were days when it was truly hard to keep going on, like the day when Hermione found out that she could not reverse what she had done to her parents. That day was not only hard for Hermione, but also for Harry. He did not know what to do, how to calm her sister, he wanted to put a brave face for her, but inside he too was broken, remembering once again those who had lost along the way, all the sacrifices they had had to do to win this war. It was in days like this when it was harder to carry on, when he wondered whether if it would be best to end it all. But then he remembered Hermione, and he forced himself to keep trying, just for her. She, just like him, could not lose another person. It would be too much to bear. They had been through too much, been to too many funerals in a short time, and they would not be able to say goodbye to another family member, just like they had to do to Fred, Remus and Tonks.

Through the ups and downs, they managed to carry on. May became June, and June July, and without really realizing it, they were a few days away from Harry’s birthday. Harry and Hermione were having a light breakfast in the backyard when suddenly he saw a little owl coming from the distance. He immediately knew that it was a letter from the Weasleys, Pig couldn’t be mistaken. He wondered what they wanted, after all, they had not maintained contact since Fred’s funeral, because they had felt like it was better to leave the Weasley Family time to grieve in peace. When Pig arrived, Harry took his letter and gave him some of his ham so he could recover from the long journey. He opened the letter and started to read it out loud for Hermione to hear, as he saw it was addressed to them both.

“ _Dear Harry and Hermione,_

_I hope you are doing better, we certainly are. We understand why you gave us space, but we are doing better, and we would truly like to see you, as you are a part of our family, no matter the name you were born with. We were wondering if you would like to come this Sunday for a dinner with the family, and if you would like, we could also celebrate your birthday, Harry dear, but only if you feel up to it. We will understand if you would not want to do it, but we would truly like for you two to come to Sunday dinner._

_I hope you are faring well with one another. Even though I would prefer you to stay with us, I understand the wish to be alone. Never forget though, that you forever are welcome to stay at the Burrow, it will always be your home._

_With all the love,_

_Molly Weasley_

_PS: Pig will stay for your response, as I know that you still have no owl. Harry dear, I know that it may be too soon and that Hedwig is unreplaceable, but you would do good in having an owl, you never know when you might need it, and you too Hermione”_

“Well, I cannot say that I was not expecting that.” – said Hermione after a brave pause.

“Really? I must say that it was truly unexpected to me… I did not expect them to want to invite us to dinner and even less want to celebrate my birthday. Merlin knows I, at least, do not want to…”

“Oh, come on Harry. They have been taking care of us since we were eleven, they will not all of a sudden kick us out of their lives, no matter the circumstances. I was wondering when they would say something.”

“I don’t know Hermione, I’ve just caused so much pain to them since they met me that I could not fathom why they would like to keep in contact with me. I know that they care for me” – he said before Hermione could respond – “but sometimes is still hard for me to believe why anyone would care, even you… For Gryffindor, everyone knows that if you had not been friends with me you would not have been through that much!”

“Oh, come on Harry! Merlin knows I would not have seen past that first Halloween had it not been for you two! So, don’t tell me that we would have been better without you, because we wouldn’t have. Just like you wouldn’t have been able to make it through if it had not been for us, and you know it. We needed each other then, and we need each other now.”

“I know Hermione, believe me, I know. I would not have survived first year either if it had not been for you. But sometimes it’s just so hard to understand why anyone would care about someone like me. I might have saved you that first year but, apart from then, the only thing I have done is endanger you and those who you love.”

“But don’t you understand, Harry, that if you had not made it through everything, none of us would be here? Voldemort would reign, and everything would be worse than anything we might have been through together. Yes, I’ve lost my parents, they do not remember me, but that is my fault, not yours! And had it not been for you, they might be dead, not living happily in another country! For goodness sake Harry! Had it not been for you the Weasleys would have lost their daughter in second year, their father in fifth year, and only God know how many more family members.”

It was true, and he knew it, but it was so hard to understand that. Even though he might have saved Ginny that second year, and had seen Mr Weasley being attacked, he had also been the cause of endangering Ron and his whole family so many times, like that one when they had burned the Burrow to the ground…

“Harry, you know that we have to go to dinner, you make not like the idea, believe me, Molly’s food is not my ideal idea either, but you know that we have to go. We cannot avoid them anymore. Like it or not, they are our family, and they will always be by our side, no matter how far away we are, or how long we go without speaking, they will always be our family. They are the only family we have left, we cannot abandon them. Family is something we must cherish.”

“Family… It’s been so long since I’ve truly felt part of a family… Remus was, of course, but I was never truly able to be with him, just like Sirius. Of course, I have you, you are my sister, you know it, but it’s just so hard to believe.”

“Oh, Harry… of course you have me. I love you, you know that I always have, always will. Just like the Weasleys. Harry you have said it more than once, they are the first family that accepted you, the first place apart from Hogwarts where you felt home. Why is it so hard for you to believe all of a sudden that you are cared for and loved?”

“I don’t know Hermione, I suppose that seeing my parents, made me miss them all of a sudden, more than I ever had. I never had had a true memory of them, apart from my mother’s screams, but now I do, and it’s just so hard to carry on without them… and I also cannot help but feel that in some way I am replacing them, as if they didn’t matter.”

“I understand you, Harry, believe me, I do, I feel that way too, but we can only do justice to their sacrifices by carrying on. And being with the Weasleys and letting yourself be a part of their family is not, in any way, replacing your parents. Is a way to honour them. You are honouring them by keeping on with your live, by being able to find happiness despite their absence. They would not want you to be lonely, Harry, they would want you to be with your friends, and to find your own family in which to feel safe and loved.”

“I don’t know Hermione…”

“Yes, you do, Harry! Before the war you would have never avoided the Weasleys, you had never dreaded meeting them, the contrary! Why this change all of a sudden?”

“Okay, Hermione, okay! You know what, you want to know it?! I cannot bear to see them because I cannot imagine a Burrow without Fred. I don’t think I could cope seeing George again, so devastated and so destroyed, without his other half. I have been through too much heartbreak throughout my life, I cannot bear to see another family broken. No matter if that family is mine, they will be better without me, I just know it. No matter how destroyed I might be if I never see them again, if I give them an opportunity in happiness I will stay apart.”

“Come on Harry, if you stay away you will bring them more pain! I understand it, okay? But have you really thought this through? Because I don’t believe so! The Weasleys see you as another family member, Molly and Arthur see you as another son. If you distance yourself you will bring them more pain than if you go to this stupid dinner. If you refuse their offer they will be losing another son, another brother. Can you make them go through the pain of losing another family member? For goodness sake Harry, did you read this letter? They are not telling you to stay away from them, they are inviting you to dinner, they are inviting you to live with them, they want you to be a part of their lives. They cannot bear the thought of losing you too.”

He started thinking through about what Hermione had said, and he saw that Hermione might be right. They were not trying to kick him out of their lives, even though it might be hard to understand why they would want him in their lives, they were asking them both to come back into them, to be a part of their family. He did not want to bring them more pain, so if this was what they wanted, he would try it and go to dinner.

“Ok Hermione, I’ll try it. We’ll go to dinner this Sunday, but I don’t think that I’m up to any kind of celebration, not yet”

“That’s all I’m asking Harry, for you to try, nothing more. I will write our response to Molly right now and send it”

~*~*~

* * *

~*~*~

Sunday came to fast in Harry’s opinion, he was by no means ready to meet the Weasley family, but he had no option but going to Sunday dinner.

“Harry, come on! Hurry up or we’ll be late!” – He heard Hermione yelling downstairs. He had been ready for more than an hour, but he was not mentally prepared. However, he did not want to face an angry Hermione again, so he adjusted his dress shirt once again, got out of their room and started descending the stairs.

“Finally, Harry, I was starting to think that I would have to come and fetch you.”

Once they were out the front door, Hermione side-apparated them. With the war and everything, Harry still had to learn how to apparate, though he was in no hurry, as he had never liked the feeling of being squeezed through space. Once they had apparated, he felt sick once again, though this time he did not know if it was due to the apparition or the sight of the Burrow a hundred meters away from him; probably it was a combination of both.

He felt Hermione starting to tug him to make him move, but he felt rooted in the spot. Against his will, he started to move and to walk towards the Burrow. When they were mere meters away from the front door he saw it opening and saw Mrs Weasleys come through. His heart gave a lump and he once again felt as if he could not move. Hermione kept urging him to keep going on, so slowly he arrived where Mrs Weasley was waiting for them. And then, the unexpected happened. He engulfed them both in a breath-taking hug and started crying.

“Oh, thank Merlin, you are finally home! I have missed you both so much. Come in, come in, everyone is in the leaving room, come and say hi.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Mrs Weasley.”

“None of that Mrs Weasley, darling, you either call me Molly or Mum, but I won’t be having any of that Mrs Weasley as if you had just met me, Harry. And you too, Hermione. Be warned, the both of you, I do not want to see the words Mrs Weasley leaving your mouth again if I can help it, and that goes for Arthur too, no more of that Mr Weasley, okay? You are family, first and foremost.”

At hearing those words Harry started sobbing. Hearing the acceptance in Mrs Weasley – Molly – and hear her call him part of her family broke his heart. He truly belonged, even if he was not able to believe it before, he could see it now, he truly belonged with this family, his family.

“Okay, M-m-mum” – he managed to say between sobs.

“There, there, darling. Let it all out, everything will be alright. Now come on go and say hi, dinner will be ready in five minutes.”

He went into the living room expecting to see a sombre ambient, but he was met with a scene which he had seen many times before. Everyone screaming to one another to be heard, chaos everywhere, and it was just like coming back home. It was difficult to ignore the evident void made by Fred but, even though every now and then you could see a sad face, even George was laughing again, like old times. He had been able to carry on, and this made Harry feel that if they had been able too, he could too. He could live for those whom they had lost, for those that couldn’t live anymore.

When they saw them enter everyone stopped talking, and only one scream could be heard, that of Ron, who was running towards them, to embrace them just as Molly had done a moment before. Finally it was the three of them again, and Harry had not seen it before, but he had missed his best mate a lot. Once they had said their greetings, they started to talk about trivial things, just like old times, while they waited for dinner to be ready. Finally, they heard Molly call them to dinner, so they got up and went to the kitchen. When he entered through the door, he felt his whole world fall before him.

There stood Andromeda with little Teddy in her arms. How could he have forgotten of his Godson? He had not for one moment wondered how he was, and though he knew that he was living with Andromeda, he had not once made a move to see how he was, as well as Andromeda, who had not only lost her husband in this war but also her daughter and son-in-law. He once again started sobbing in despair and felt his legs go weak. Just as he was about to fall to the ground, he felt someone’s arms embracing him and supporting him, and he immediately knew that it was Hermione. He leaned against her and started sobbing in earnest on her shoulder. She did not speak, there was no need to, she just kept rubbing his back until he was able to calm himself. Everyone knew why he had broken down, so they kept quiet, waiting for the right moment to speak. Obviously, the first one who did so was Andromeda, who said something which Harry did not anticipate.

“Harry darling, don’t you worry. I know you are blaming yourself for not being there for Teddy, maybe for not even having thought about him. But believe me that I’m not blaming you. You are just a child, you should not be caring for another being, please don’t put that pressure on yourself. You have gone through a lot; it’s understandable that in this time of grieve you have not been with Teddy, but don’t you worry, he is just a baby, he still has a long life ahead of him. A life in which I don’t have any doubt in knowing that you will be a part of. Making a lot of memories with him, making him laugh, helping him through the hard times, as well as telling him stories about his parents, because Merlin knows that you are the more adequate one to keep their legacy alive. So, don’t worry because you have missed a few months of his life. From now on I know that you will be there for him, but by no means will I force you to see him, only if you are prepared. I also know that you are worried about me, I can see it in your face, and yes I have lost my family, but I have been given a new one and I intend to cherish it with all of my heart, I can only hope that you will do the same.”

He was left speechless with what he had heard. How could have Andromeda known everything he had been thinking? And what impressed him the most was that she was not blaming him, quite the contrary, she was giving him a second chance to be a part of Teddy’s life, and he would do nothing less but cherish it with all of his heart. Without any words to say, he decided to do the next best thing, he disentangled himself from Hermione, and went towards Andromeda to hug her, and express all his feelings of gratitude thought the hug.

Apart from this slight misstep, the rest of the dinner went smoothly without any other incident. It was true, there were people missing, but what a better way of honouring them than living? So that was what they would do. After dinner, they went into the living room for a little bit more of light talking, and after a long time, they decided that it was time to go back home, but not before promising to come back the day of Harry’s birthday, which was in two days’ time, in which Molly intended to at least give Harry his presents even if he did not feel up to a full celebration, which he did not. Harry and Hermione walked those hundred meters towards the apparition point in silence, but both feeling lighter than they had felt when they had arrived at the Burrow mere hours before.

When they arrived back home, exhausted and ready to go to bed, they saw the last thing they expected. There were two letters waiting for them in the kitchen table with an unmistakable crest at the front.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you all soon!  
> As always, kudos and comments are always welcome.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!


	3. CHAPTER 2: A Mysterious Letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so, so sorry. OMG, it has almost been a month since I last posted, and I promised to post within a week...  
> It definitely is not an excuse, but university just got on the way of writing.  
> However, thanks to the quarantine, I now have time in my hands to write again. Even though I still have university work, I have too many free time, and therefore I can write new chapters once more.  
> I will try to write as many chapters as possible during these days in order to compensate for all the lost ones.  
> Thank you so much for all your love!  
> Jem

“Why would Mrs Malfoy be writing to us, Hermione?”

“I think I know why, but open your letter and let’s see.”

“But what if it’s cursed, Hermione?! It’s Mrs Malfoy after all!”

“Yes, and she is also the woman who saved your life, Harry! Besides, if this letter is for what I believe, it being cursed would not be beneficial for her purpose.”

It was true, Mrs Malfoy had saved his life by lying to Voldemort, but it had all been because of his son, not because she cared about him or his cause. However, he trusted Hermione with his life, and if she said that it was safe, he would believe her. So, taking a deep breath, he opened the letter and he started to read.

“ _Dear Mr Potter,_

_I am writing to you to ask you for a favour. I know that you do not owe us anything, not after all that we have done to you, but I’m asking you to please testify in my son’s favour during his trial._

_You were just children in an adult war. You had to grow far too fast, you had to make decisions not based solely on your ideals, but also thinking of the well-being of those close to you. I know that we, of all people, don’t deserve redemption, what we did is unforgivable, but I’m begging, please, for you to help Draco. He never believed in the Dark Lord methods. Yes, he might have believed in pureblood superiority, but not anymore. He believed in them because of us. Since he was little he was taught that muggle-borns were inferior, and he did not know any better until you and your friends came along and taught him differently. However, when faced with the possible deaths of his family, he did the only thing he knew; he put on a brave face and followed the orders of a madman to save us._

_Please, Mr Potter, help Draco get out of Azkaban. We’ve only been here for three months, and even though I know that it is not punishment enough for our misdeeds, I believe my son does not deserve a life in prison due to his parents’ mistakes. I am not asking for a full pardon, he has committed crimes that cannot just be forgiven. However, I would be deeply grateful if you could help in getting Draco out of this place. Azkaban is a prison full of despair, Dementors suck all happiness out of you, and it is no place for a seventeen-year-old._

_As I’ve said before, I know that you don’t owe us anything and since the moment you met him, he has never treated you right. However, I stand by what I said; you were children and school rivals always exist, but you are not in school anymore, this is real life, and I won’t stand aside watching how my son’s life falls apart. For this reason, I ask for your forgiveness and your help._

_Sincerely and with hope in my heart,_

_Narcissa Malfoy_

_PS: If you decide to come, the Malfoy’s Family trial is on the 1 st of August at 10 a.m.”_

He didn’t know what he was expecting, but that was certainly not it. He was left with no words after reading Mrs Malfoy letter. It was true that they were just children in an adult war, but that did not mean that Draco had not taken an active part in it. On the other hand, it was true that Draco had maintained his anonymity when they had been brought to Malfoy Manor, thus saving him. But did that redeem everything he had done?

“I guess that your letter more or less says the same, Hermione. So what do you think that we should do? Because I’m not certain whether or not we should help her…”

“Well, I know you probably won’t like this idea, but I truly think that we should testify in his favour, and not only for his but also for his Mother’s” – Harry was going to interrupt her when Hermione lifted her hand in a stopping motion – “No, wait a moment, just hear me out first, Harry. I know that Malfoy was a jerk to us in school, believe me, I know that. However, we cannot forget that he did not do this willingly. Yes, he is a Death Eater, but he was forced into being one, and you know that. You, better than anyone, know what Voldemort was capable of. Malfoy just wanted to protect his family, even if they were on the wrong side. He did not know any other means to protect them, no one had ever given him any other option but to follow his father’s steps. You saw how disturbed he was during sixth year when he had the mission to kill Dumbledore, and in the end, he was not capable of doing it. He just did everything that he could to protect his family, just like you went through everything to protect yours. And the same goes for Mrs Malfoy, she was just following her husband to protect herself as well as her son. She lied to Voldemort because of her son. She decided that it was worth it to give you a chance of defeating Voldemort for her son to have a better future than the one he would have gotten if Voldemort had won. Even though they did horrible things throughout this war, without them we would not have won, we would have lost long before the battle of Hogwarts and you know it. So yes, Harry, I believe that we should testify in their favour, even though I don’t believe that they should be given a full pardon, I do believe that maybe we should help them get parole.”

“I don’t get why you would say that, Hermione. Malfoy made your life hell since the day he met you! His bigoted ways and his hateful word were not because of Voldemort, but because of who he is!”

“Yes Harry, I know. But, tell me, if everything you had been taught since you were little was that you were better than others, that muggle-borns should bow at your feet, what would you believe. There are the ideals with which you are brought up, and in which you believe without a reason behind, and then there are the ideals in which you believe when you are older because you have reasons to do so. What I’m trying to say Harry, is that he did not have these views about muggle-borns because he truly believed in them, but because they had been integrated into his being since he was a child, and therefore he stood by them. The word mudblood is not something you are born knowing, it is something you are taught about, just like everything else. I am not trying to excuse his behaviour either, but if he, like the Weasleys, had been taught that no one was superior to anyone, he wouldn’t’ve had that shitty behaviour. He knows better now, and that is the important thing.”

Deep down Harry knew that what Hermione was saying was true. After all, the same had happened with Dudley. He had always treated him badly because it was how his parents treated Harry. If his parents could treat Harry badly, then so could he. However, in the end, he had seen that all his life he had treated Harry with no respect, without any reason, and he had tried to mend his errors.

“I get it, Hermione, believe me, I do. But I still don’t know for sure if his redemption act is enough for us to forgive everything that he has done to us through the years. Just let me think about it some more time and sleep it over, and tomorrow I’ll tell you what I think.”

“Okay, Harry. But don’t forget that they both saved your life. And even though it might not seem like it, without their redemption acts, as you call them, we would not be here today, and Voldemort would be ruling over England’s Magical community, and maybe more places.”

“Goodnight ‘Mione.”

“Goodnight Harry.”

He left the living room, went up the stairs and entered their room. He got ready for bed, and then he tried to sleep. He tossed and turned, but he couldn’t settle his mind. He couldn’t stop thinking about Mrs Malfoy’s letter, and about what Hermione had said. It was true, without Malfoy’s and his mother’s help, they wouldn’t have been able to survive this war. The fights with Malfoy throughout the years had only been a childish rivalry, without really meaning any harm. They were not children anymore, it was not time for childish rivalries to guide his decisions. His testimony could save Malfoy’s life, who, though not innocent, had also helped the Light side win this war, and therefore deserved to, at least, not be sent to prison. With his mindset, he tried to sleep once more. Mere minutes later, he heard Hermione enter their room and wander towards her bed, and decided that now was an as good time as any to tell her his decision and give her, too, some peace of mind.

“I’ve decided to help them, ‘Mione” – he said with a rough voice.

“Merlin Harry, give a woman some warning please, you almost gave me a heart attack! I thought you were sleeping!”

“I just couldn’t stop thinking about the letter and about everything you said…”

“Well for what it is worth, I’m glad you decided to put your rivalry apart and help them, Harry. Though I hate to be the one to break it to you, we will have to tell the Weasleys, and they won’t be happy about it.”

“I know Hermione, don’t remind me about it. It will be an entertaining birthday.”

“That it will be, Harry, that it will be.”

And with that last words, they both went to sleep, thinking about the days that had to come.

~*~*~

* * *

~*~*~

It had been a peaceful afternoon at the Weasley household, he had been able to see his whole family again, including Charlie, and also Andy and Teddy, whom he had missed dearly. They had given Harry his present for his birthday and, afterwards, they had had a quiet dinner with a mouth-watering cake by the end. It was now almost time to leave and Harry was by no means ready to tell them about his and Hermione’s decision to testify in Malfoy’s behalf. He and Hermione had decided to tell them about it at the end of the day, because they wanted to have a peaceful celebration without making it more difficult than it would already be. After all, it was the first real celebration after the war. But now it was time, and he was so not prepared. He looked at Hermione begging with his eyes for her to start, and when he saw an imperceptible nod he almost sighed in relief.

“Before we leave, Harry and I wanted to say something.”

“What is it dear? Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened per se, Molly. This past Sunday, after we returned home, we found two letters awaiting us. They were from Mrs Malfoy asking us to testify in his son’s behalf during his trial…”

“Well, I suppose you said no, right?”

“No, Ron, quite the contrary. Moreover, not only are we testifying for Malfoy but also for his mother.”

“What! Have you two gone bonkers?! It’s Malfoy we are talking about! The git who called you mudblood, who also tried to kill me in sixth year and tried to cast the Cruciatus on Harry!”

“Yes, but he is also the one who refused to acknowledge Harry back in the Manor, Ron! You know that had it not been for him, we would not have been able to survive that day! And then what? Voldemort would’ve won.”

“He did it out of selfishness Hermione! He is a git, and he does not deserve our help, not after everything he has done to us!”

“Ron, Hermione is right… – said Harry – he might be a git, but everything that happened back in school was just childish rivalry between two people with different views. Beside, as Hermione said the other day to me, one is not born knowing what a mudblood is, but is taught so. If you had been in his place, you would have acted the same as him, and vice-versa.”

“Well, I for one, dear Ronnikins, agree with them both. Yes, Malfoy was a git back in school, just as much as you were a git to him. He said and did awful things, that’s true, but that was the way he was brought up, and during the war, he just wanted to protect his family and himself. He did what he could to survive, just like all of us did, but he had different circumstances, not because he chose to, but because his family chose for him.”

“Well said, George. I know more than anyone how hard it can be to abandon your family and, also, what it is like to be brought up in a Dark family. I was seventeen when I decided to marry Ted and leave my family behind. I, just like Draco, had been groomed into being the perfect heir since I was born; it is not an easy feat to leave all that you know behind. When Draco was forced into taking the Dark Mark, he had just celebrated his sixteenth birthday, he was just a young man forced to replace a much older person. That is no easy deed. His father was in prison and they had threatened to kill his mother, he had no other option. No one believes a Slytherin when they say that they want to change, believe me, I know that, everyone just believes that you are lying and are trying to spy, so he had no choice but follow his father’s steps and do the task given to him. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up for our enemies, Harry and Hermione, and for that reason, I thank you for agreeing to help not only my nephew but also my sister, because even though I might have had a strained relationship with them these past years, I would never wish them imprisonment in Azkaban.”

“You are all crazy! How can you want to help Malfoy after everything he has done! Ginny almost got killed because of him, for Merlin’s sake! I cannot just let that pass, and I don’t know how you can! They deserve Azkaban for everything they have done and more!”

“Ronald Weasley you take that back right this moment! – said suddenly Molly Weasley, who up until that moment had been quiet and looking thoughtful – I cannot believe that I raised a young man with so much prejudices! Ginny’s mishap was due to Lucius Malfoy, not his son. Lucius Malfoy is at fault, no one is denying that, however, his son and wife have not done any real damage in this war, they were just trying to survive. For what you have told us, had it not been for them both none of us would be here, and for that alone, in my opinion, they do not deserve to be in Azkaban at all. Hermione, Harry, know that we support you both in your decision, and I couldn’t be prouder. If you want us to accompany you at the trial you just have to say it.”

“Thank you so much for your support Mum, but I don’t think it will be necessary, Hermione and I will be fine. However, if at any point we need you, we will let you know immediately.”

“If you don't mind, we will be heading home. It is rather late, and we have to go to the trial tomorrow, so we would like to have a little sleep.”

“Not at all, dear. I hope to see you on Sunday for dinner if you don't come back before, dears.”

“Of course, Mum. We’ll be here.”

When they left, Ron was still huffing, but at least he said no more about the trials. They arrived at Grimmauld Place in a solemn mood and headed directly to bed. It was late, and the following day would be a long one indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading this chapter. I hope I can post soon.  
> Kudos and comments are always welcome :)  
> With lots of love,  
> Jem


	4. CHAPTER 3: Malfoy's Trial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The trial is here!!  
> I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it for you all :)  
> With lots of love,  
>  Jem

“Please Stand”

Everyone in the courtroom stood up waiting for the Minister for Magic, who presided the trial, to enter and take his seat.

“You may sit” – said Minister Shacklebolt once he had taken his spot up in the stand. – “Aurors, bring the accused into the room, please”

Harry was left breathless when he saw Draco Malfoy entering into the courtroom. That young man was not his school nemesis, he was just a person who had suffered too much without reason. No one should have been through the horrors you could see in his eyes. He looked like he had not been eating since the battle of Hogwarts; his clothes were torn, and his face looked sullen with bags under his eyes. He Malfoy Mask had fallen, and you could see every emotion written in his face, but how couldn’t it, when he had been three months imprisoned in Azkaban with the Dementors.

The Aurors took Malfoy and his parent to a seat located in the centre of the room, and once they were seated, chain sprung out from them and bound them to the chair. Once they were bound, Minister Shacklebolt started to state the crimes for which they were being judged for.

“Lucius Malfoy, you are accused of being a Death Eater and of housing He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. You are also accused of acts of torture, attacking innocent muggles, as well as murder. You are also being accused of blackmail of teenagers in Ministry grounds and attacking said teenagers. You are accused of giving a cursed object to a twelve-year-old, almost causing her death. Furthermore, you are being accused of corruption, property theft, and also form forcing your view while managing the board of governors from Hogwarts through blackmail and threats. How do you plead yourself as?”

“I plead myself guilty, your Honour”

“Narcissa Malfoy, you are accused of being an accomplice of Death Eaters, as well as housing You-Know-Who at your Manor. Furthermore, you are being accused of helping your son in planning the death of the late Albus Dumbledore. How do you plead yourself as?”

“I plead myself guilty, your Honour”

“Draco Malfoy, you are accused of being a Death Eater. You are also being accused of plotting the death of the late Albus Dumbledore, as well as being an accomplice to his actual death. You are being accused of helping a group of Death Eaters to enter the grounds of Hogwarts thanks to a cabinet you repaired. Furthermore, you are accused of the near-death of your classmates Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley and of casting the Imperius Curse to Madam Rosmerta during your sixth year, as well as torturing younger students during your seventh year. How do you plead yourself?”

“I plead myself guilty, your Honour”

“The accused have pleaded themselves guilty of their charges. Now, as is normal procedure in wizarding trials, before the Wizengamot leaves to make a resolution, witnesses may take the stand in order to attest to their crime or to defend the accused. Those who wish to act as witnesses please stand.”

Harry stood, as did Hermione. Surprisingly for him, he saw Professor McGonagall also stand up from the crowd assembled in the atrium, as well as Andromeda Tonks, who he had not seen in the crowd. He was surprised to see her because the day before she had not mentioned going to the trial, however, taking into account that Narcissa was her sister, he should not have been that surprised. No one else, apart from them four stood up. Harry silently tanked Merlin, that no one else stood, because he firmly believed that the four of them were there to defend rather than accuse, and he did not want anyone presenting more crimes if they wished to free both Narcissa and Draco.

“Perfect, then, let’s begin with witnesses. Please, Hermione Granger, come to the stand.”

Silently, Hermione walked down the steps of the atrium and walked up to the stand to the designed place for witnesses. After she had seat, an Auror came to the stand to take her oath.

“Do you Swear on your Magic to tell the truth and nothing more than the truth?”

“I Swear on my Magic” – said Hermione. Swearing on your magic was not just a means to word an oath, but it was truly a swear to do whatever you had been asked, in this case, to tell the truth, or your magic would be taken away. Harry was thankful that they just had to give a statement, because if they had had to answer questions, Harry was not sure if he would’ve been able to answer without telling a lie, after all, no one could know about Horcruxes, and many things about the war revolved around them. The advantage of this oath was that it worked better than Veritaserum, because everything you said was known to be the truth, and you were not forced to just be able to answer direct questions. While he was musing in his thoughts, he heard Minister Schaklebolt speaking up again and asking Hermione to state her full name to the Wizengamot members.

“Hermione Jean Granger, your Honour.” – replied Hermione.

“And for who are you testifying, Miss. Granger?”

“I’m testifying on behalf of Mrs Malfoy as well as on behalf of Draco Malfoy.”

Once those words left her lips, and uproar could be heard throughout the whole chamber. – “Please, lower your volume or I may ask you to leave this courtroom” – said Minister Shacklebolt with a solemn voice. While he was waiting or the crowd to stop screaming, Harry saw the shocked face of Malfoy at Hermione’s statement, as well as, an expression of gratitude as well as shock in Mrs Malfoy; clearly, she had not expected them to help her son, and even less her.

“Miss. Granger, you may make your statement.”

“Thank you, Minister. First of all, I would like to start talking about Mrs Malfoy. I know what it's like to stand up for your family and friend, to do everything at your hands in order to protect them, to do things that may be considered crimes; after all, I have done some of those things. Mrs Malfoy only crime was to be on the wrong side of the war, nothing more. She was born in the, what some would call, the wrong side of the game. During this war, the only thing that Mrs Malfoy did was try to protect their family, through any means necessary. Yes, Voldemort lived at her home, but I would not wish that to anyone. She did not host him willingly; I saw it in her eyes when we found ourselves at Malfoy Manor while on the run. I saw the terror that lived within her, the fear she had of that madman. However, she could not leave as long as her son was in peril, she could not leave and leave his son at the mercy of a madman who would without any doubt torture him for her absence. So yes, Mrs Malfoy was involved, with Death Eaters, but let’s not forget that she was not one. Let’s not forget either, that Mrs Malfoy deflected during the battle of Hogwarts, and helped us win against Voldemort. Secondly, I would like to talk about Draco Malfoy. Everyone here knows, that I am a muggleborn, that is no news to anyone, just like it is no news that Draco Malfoy is a pureblood. Who our parents are should not matter, but sadly, in this world, it does. In the muggle world, instead of blood, what people judge is the colour of your skin; if you are black-skinned, then you are inferior. But why is that believed? We can clearly see the colour of the skin of our Minister, and we do not judge him for that. So why do we judge muggleborns and half-bloods then? I’m saddened to say that it is for the same reasons that muggles judge black people, and that is no other thing than tradition. A person is not born with judgment, a person is taught. If since you were born you have been taught that you were superior due to your blood, you end up believing that. It is a statement so ingrained in yourself that you do not question it, you just believe it. For that reason, since he was little, Draco Malfoy had believed that he was better than me, better than Harry, better than anyone who was not a pureblood; he did not question his believed, he was not brought up to question. However, as he grew older, he started to saw these beliefs crumble around him. Did being better justify all the tortures and killings that were happening around him? Wasn’t a killer supposed to be a criminal? Changing your views about a life-long belief is not easy, however, Draco Malfoy did. In one of our more crucial moments while on the run, Draco Malfoy helped us. He negated to identify Harry when brought disfigured in front of him, while you could see in his own eyes the recognition and the conflict between telling the truth and following his heart. While surrounded by his father, Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback, he made the tough decision to give a vote of confidence to Harry and our cause and lied about his identity. He saved Harry’s life by deciding to not identify him. Voldemort was about to be called as soon as he gave his affirmative response, however, thanks to his lie, Harry and Ron were brought into a cell, from which we could escape, therefore, making Draco’s act a lifesaving one. Thank you for your attention, your Honours, that is everything I have to say.”

“Thank you, Miss. Granger, for your testimony. You may leave the stand and retake your seat. Mr Potter if you may come to the stand now, please – Minister Shacklebolt said. Once he had taken his place in the stand and taken his oath, the Minister spoke again. – “Please state your full name to the Wizengamot.”

“Harry James Potter, Your Honour”

“And who are you testifying for, Mr Potter?”

“I am testifying on behalf of Mrs Malfoy and Draco Malfoy”

Once again, an uproar could be heard around the courtroom. Once everyone had quieted down again, which took much longer this time, Kingsley Shacklebolt finally told him to make his statement, and so Harry commenced.

“Thank you, Minister” – he said – “I too, would like to start taking on behalf of Mrs Malfoy. I would like to make emphasis on Hermione’s statement about Mrs Malfoy acting on behalf of her family, only to protect her. Just like Hermione, I know what it's like to act out of love and for the protection of our loved ones. We all know that we would do anything to save those that we love, nothing is too much and safe is never safe enough. However, I believe that Hermione has explained it all perfectly, so I won’t delve in that. Nevertheless, I would like to make a statement regarding Mrs Malfoy, that not many know of. Mrs Malfoy saved my life, and I do not say that lightly. She might have done it for her son but, nonetheless, she saved my life. As those who were in the battle of Hogwarts, and many more may know, while Voldemort gave us time to gather our dead ones and our injured, I went into the Forbidden Forest to meet with him. When Severus Snape died, he gave me his last memories for me to view. In them I saw Albus Dumbledore telling Severus Snape that, for reasons which I cannot say due to confidentiality, I had to die before Voldemort did, or else he could not be killed and all that time while in the run completing Dumbledore’s mission would have been for nothing. Therefore, I went into the forest. Not to negotiate a truce with Voldemort, but to die. Once I arrived where He was located, He did not wait a moment before he had cast the Killing Curse to me. For unknown reasons, though, I survived once again. I was lying still hoping that they thought me dead when I heard Voldemort telling someone to check if I was dead, he did not want to commit his mistake once again, after all. Obviously, I thought that it was my end, whoever it was would tell Voldemort that I was alive, and He would kill me with some other curse making sure that I didn’t survive this time. However, it was Mrs Malfoy who approached me, she saw that I was alive, and instead of telling so to Voldemort, she asked me whether Draco was alive or not. At that point I had two options, I could either ignore her because maybe it was just a trick to see if I truly was alive, or answer her. I chose the second one, and in a murmur, I told her that his son was alive and in the castle. Then, the impossible happened, Mrs Malfoy stood up and told Voldemort that I was dead. No one else came to verify, no one doubted her word. The reason why I had gone to the forest was fulfilled, and therefore I could finally kill Voldemort. Mrs Malfoy saved my life, and assuredly the life of many others, and for that reason, I ask for you to spare her, if not a full pardon, at least house arrest, but she does not deserve Azkaban, not after saving all of us in an act of love. Continuing onto Draco Malfoy, once more Hermione has explained how he saved our lives back in Malfoy Manor, I will not delve onto that, as all that was said before is true. However, I would like to talk about our sixth year. His father had just been imprisoned in Azkaban due to the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Voldemort decided as punishment for his father’s failures to make him, a sixteen-year-old boy and therefore a minor, a Death Eater. He gave him am impossible mission. A mission that not even Voldemort dared to do and threatened to kill her mother and him if he failed. As you now that mission was no other than to kill the great Albus Dumbledore. Voldemort’s hopes were that Draco would fail his mission and that he would be able to punish further the Malfoy Family. Yes, it is true, Draco almost killed Katie Bell and Ronald Weasley, but it was just in an attempt to safe his family. I saw the misery he lived in through all our sixth year, I would not wish it to anyone. Furthermore, even though it may surprise you, Dumbledore knew of Draco’s plans, he knew all along. Before starting the school year, while in a mission Dumbledore run into a curse by Lord Voldemort, he ended with a blackened hand, which was slowly killing him. He did not die instantly because Severus Snape managed to slow the spreading, giving him a few more months of life. Mrs Malfoy asked Severus Snape, a long-time family friend, to help his son in his mission to end Dumbledore’s life and made him take an unbreakable vow to do anything in his power to assure Draco’s success, after all, Mrs Malfoy did not want to lose his son. Severus Snape gave all this information to his mentor, one Albus Dumbledore, who told him to help Draco and to, in the final moments of his life, to kill him himself; as we all know, Severus did. The day Dumbledore died, we had just returned from a mission who left him very weak, barely alive. When we arrived at the Astronomy Tower Dumbledore told me to go fetch Severus Snape, but while I was leaving, Draco arrived, and Dumbledore froze me under my father’s invisibility cloak unable to move. I saw everything that happened that night up in the tower. Draco disarmed Dumbledore but was not able to do anything more. He was trembling out of fear, and he told Dumbledore that he had to kill him, or Voldemort would kill his family. But he was not able to. Dumbledore offered him a way out, a way to save himself and his family, and Draco was about to accept when the Death Eaters burst in. We all know what happened next, Dumbledore died at the hands of Severus Snape. What I’m trying to say with this though, is that Draco Malfoy is not a criminal, he did not want to commit any of the crimes you accused him fore, he was just trying to fulfil the role given to him, just like I did. We were just children, children forced to take part in an adult war, we are not at fault about what we did, none of us are. No sixteen-year-old should be forced to do what we have been through. No sixteen-year-old should be forced to make the decision to kill or be killed. Thank you very much for your attention esteemed Members of the Wizengamot, I hope my statement helps you make a fair decision for everyone.”

“Thank you, Mr Potter, for your statement. You may leave the stand and retake your seat. Mrs Tonks if you could come forward, and take the stand, please.” – said Minister Shacklebolt once he had finished with his statement.

While he was retaking his seat, Andromeda went to the stand, took the oath and started to make her statement. She was defending her sister, and she explained the Wizengamot what it was like to be born into the Black family; after all, she had had the same upbringing. She explained to them about the Cruciatus they had been submitted since she had been three, about how their parents had been as crazy as Bellatrix and had forced them to always do their bidding. She said that she had been lucky, she had been able to escape, and fortunately, her only punishment had been disinherited, though fore a pureblood, that can be worse than death. Mrs Malfoy, however, had not had much luck, and couldn’t escape their parents' grip, therefore being forced to marry Lucius Malfoy. Even though the marriage may had been planned, it was still her family, and Black’s protected her family fiercely, and for that reason, Mrs Malfoy had stood by his husband through the war and had helped her son in everything she could. Finally, Andromeda stated that had she been in her sister’s place, she would have done the same, after all, she had also done everything she could in order to protect her husband and daughter.

Once she had finished her statement, Minerva McGonagall was called to the stand, in order to give the last statement for the trial.

Professor McGonagall talked about how Draco Malfoy had always been an exemplary student, the top of his house, and one of the best of his year. She made emphasis in stating that Draco had just been a child, just like Harry had said, and she also said that during Draco’s last year, he had participated as little as he could in the tortures implemented by the Carrow Brothers. Instead, he tried to help the students every time he could. Finally, which highly surprised Harry, as well as Hermione for what he could see, was that Professor McGonagall said that she had decided to implement an eight-year for all those who had not been able to do properly their last year due to the war, in order for them to finish their studies and do their news, and she told in front of the whole Wizengamot, that she was willing to admit Draco Malfoy into Hogwarts, and that she was also willing to make sure that he followed all the rules and did not commit any more crimes, as well as follow everything implemented by the Wizengamot if they decided to give him the conditional.

Finally, everyone had given their statement, therefore the Wizengamot left the courtroom in order to make a decision. Due to an intricate spell which manipulated time, the Wizengamot Members were able to take all the time they needed in order to make a decision, while for the people in the courtroom it seemed just like mere moments. Consequently, in just mere seconds the Members of the Wizengamot were back with their verdict and retook their places in the stands. They all looked tired, and with bags under their eyes, which could only mean that they had taken a lot of time to reach a decision, hence anything could happen. When they were all seated, Minister Shacklebolt spoke again.

“Welcome back, esteemed Members of the Wizengamot. Chief Warlock, if you could come forward and give your verdict please?”

A man who appeared to be in his sixties stood up, though Harry did not know who he was.

“Thank you, Minister Shacklebolt. First of all, I would like to start with Lucius Malfoy. Lucius Malfoy, you have been found guilty of all your crimes and therefore are sentenced to Twenty-Five years in Azkaban, with a possibility of parole after twenty years. Narcissa Malfoy, you have been found guilty of all your crimes, however, due to the testimonies given during this trial, the Wizengamot has decided to sentence you to five years of house arrest with a controlled used of your magic; if any dark spell was to be used you would be sent directly to Azkaban to serve for the rest of your sentence. And to finish with our verdicts, Draco Malfoy, you have been found guilty of all your crimes, but, ought to the testimonies and the proposition of Minerva McGonagall, we sentence you to a year of controlled use of magic, in which you will have to go to Hogwarts under de vigilance of Headmistress McGonagall. If at any point you used any Dark Spell, or cause harm to your classmates, you would be sent directly to Azkaban for the remaining of the year. After the school year and depending on your behaviour it will be determined whether you will be given further years of house arrest or not. Any behaviour like the ones you have had in your past years will not be permitted. We have been lenient because you were just a child, but we will not give you another chance.”

Harry could not believe what he had heard. They had managed to avoid Draco and Narcissa being sent to Azkaban. Although it had been their intention when they testified, Harry had not truly believed that they would be able to do it, because the Malfoy’s had committed many crimes. Even though he was not ecstatic about them being out, he understood why it had to be done, and deep down, he was grateful for it. They did not deserve to go to Azkaban. The Members of the Wizengamot left the courtroom, and after them, the Malfoy’s were taken away. Finally, Minister Shacklebolt spoke again, dismissing everyone from the courtroom.

“This session is closed”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it. Comments and Kudos are always welcome.  
> I hope to have the next chapter soon  
> Sincerely,  
>  Jem


	5. CHAPTER 4: The Welcoming Feast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for taking so long to write this chapter, but first I didn't have inspiration, and then I had to present a school project, and I did not have time to write.  
> I'll try to have the next chapter soon to compensate for it, but for now, I hope you like this one.  
> With love,  
> Jem

It had been a month since the trials, and during this month nothing much in their routines had changed. They had kept on going to the Weasley’s every Sunday for dinner, and even though Ron was still mad at them for testifying for the Malfoy family, he had mellowed a little. Harry had also gone a few times to Andromeda’s house to spend time getting to know his godson, and he couldn’t be prouder of the little man he was growing to be. During this month they had received their Hogwarts letter for their eighth year, and as much as Harry had wanted to refuse at first, Hermione had insisted in the fact that they needed their education, and therefore they had to attend for their final year and take their NEWTs. However, they had not managed to convince Ron, as he had decided that he would help George in managing Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. They had also received a very heartfelt letter from Mrs Malfoy thanking them for their help during the trials and for saving his son from a life in prison. During their last week of summer, they had gone to Diagon Alley to get their supplies for the year, and it had been as chaotic as it could get; once they had arrived at the Alley people had started bothering them and thanking them for defeating the Dark Lord, and it had only gotten worse once the reporters had arrived. Finally, they had opted to change their appearance with some charms, and they had managed to do their shopping with tranquillity.

Now, 1st of September, their routine was about to change drastically. Here they were again, about to board the Hogwarts Express for their last time to go back to the place where it all had happened. The place where they had all met, where they grew up and have the time of their lives, but also the place where they fought for their lives and where many had been lost.

Harry and Hermione had once again concealed their appearance in order to save themselves from people trying to thank them for their efforts during the war, they did not feel as if they should be thanked for it, and therefore, where fidgety around swarms of people trying to talk to them. They managed to say goodbye to the Weasley Family and board the Hogwarts Express without being noticed.

Once they had boarded, they cancelled the Charms and found an empty compartment alongside Ginny, Luna and Neville, who had also returned for his eighth year. Firstly, they just talked a little bit about their summer a how everything was back at home, but it was a too much uncomfortable conversation, due to all the loss they had been subjected to those lasts months, which made them lapse into a sort of uncomfortable silence until the Trolley Witch arrived. That seemed to break the ice for them, and they started talking about anything and everything like the old times. It seemed as if seeing the Trolley Witch made them realise that even though they had lost people, live went on, and therefore, they could not let the loss of their love once reign their future, live continued, and being there was just like the past years. Yes, they were all different, but at least for Harry, they were still the same.

Before any could notice, they realised that they were almost at Hogwarts, so they decided to change into their robes before it was too late. When they arrived, they descended the train, and they took a carriage just for the five of them. They could see a lot of people around them looking strangely at the carriages, and Harry realised that they were seeing the Thestrals for the first time. It was just another sign that they had gone through a war, that too many children had been fighting alongside it, and that despite their age, they had seen too much death. Seeing this brought his insecurities back to Harry, and he could see that his peers were the same, because the sombre feeling that they had initially in their compartment had returned. They were no longer cheerful, but expectant. What would Hogwarts be like? Could they see the signs of destruction in the walls? Would they be reminded of that fateful night at every step they took? Harry was not sure he was ready to see Hogwarts again, but he could do nothing now. He had decided to return, and so he would put a brave face on, and we would not let the ghosts haunt him, whoever difficult it may be. If he let them, Merlin knows what could happen.

When they descended the carriages, he could immediately feel a hand gripping his. He looked around expecting to see destruction everywhere but instead, he found Hogwarts just as it had ever been. Clearly a lot of effort had been put into the repairs during the summer, in order for Hogwarts to be the same for all the students coming back. At seeing everyone starting to go up into the castle Harry started to walk to, but he realised that Hermione was not moving; she was rooted in place gripping Harry’s hand for dear life. Harry saw that she had her eyes fixed into something, and when she followed her gaze, he saw that she was staring at the Astronomy Tower. He realised that she was clearly remembering the day that he had jumped and seemed lost in time. He quickly told his friends to keep going and he turned facing Hermione. With his free hand, she took gently Hermione’s face and made her look at him in the eyes.

“Hey, Hermione. It’s okay, I’m okay. I’m here Hermione, and I don’t intend on going anywhere” – he said quietly to her. He saw that she started to blink as if trying to rid herself of a memory and to root herself in the present, so he continued talking to her – “I know that it’s difficult Hermione, and I don’t know if it will get easier, I can only hope that it does. But what I do know is that I’m going to be by your side through every step of the way. It is going to be hard, but I’m going to be there for you, just like I know that you are going to be there for me. You’re my sister Hermione, and I love you with all that I have”.

“I love you too Harry” – she said quietly – “Thank you. I needed to hear that. Now let’s go, the Feast is about to start soon, and we do not want to miss the last sorting now, do we? Merlin knows you have already lost a lot of them, it’s about time we start changing the tradition, right?”

Harry saw that she was trying not to laugh while she said that, and he couldn’t help but doing so.

“Right Hermione, very right. As always” – he said between laughs. This was the breaking point for Hermione, and she started laughing too.

When they had managed to calm a little, they started walking towards the castle, and once they were there they went towards the Great Hall. When they entered the Great Hall their eyes immediately roamed the Gryffindor table looking for Neville, but they didn’t manage to see him there. It was then, that they saw the fifth table that should not have been there and that held all of the students returning for their eighth year, including Neville. Seeing as Neville had saved two seats by his side, they immediately went to him.

“Neville, why is this table in here and why aren’t we seating in the Gryffindor table?”

“I don’t really know, Headmistress McGonagall only told us that all the eighth years’ returning had to seat here and that we had to stay after the feast because she wanted to talk to us. I suppose that she will explain it all then. Now seat, the sorting is about to start, you arrived right on time.”

They sat at their table and immediately heard the doors of the Great Hall opening. In they came a line of nervous first years guided by Deputy Headmaster Flitwick. When they arrived at the front Professor Flitwick started calling them all for them to be sorted. The first to be sorted went into Gryffindor, and Harry applauded with all he had for the little boy. When the next boy was sorted into Slytherin, Harry applauded with as much might. Everyone in the Great Hall started staring at him, and when Neville asked him why he was applauding a Slytherin, he responded confidently.

“I don’t care whether they are a Slytherin, a Gryffindor, a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff. They are Hogwarts students and they should be welcome to our school as so. We should welcome them to their new home, not just to their new house. It is a place unknown to all of them, they have just arrived here. They barely know anyone, and the first thing we do when they arrive here is distributed them in different houses, and instead of being extra support, we turn it into the only support they have. We discriminate anyone who is not in our house, and for those who their only friend goes to another house, they are left with no one once again. We should be a school, not four houses. We should unite not divide. Everyone has been able to see what happens when we divide, and we cannot let that happen again. Let the past be a lesson to everyone toward a better future. So yes, I am applauding to a young boy who has been sorted into Slytherin, because no matter the house he is in, he is also a new student to our school, and we should welcome them all to it.”

By the time he finished responding to Neville, Harry saw that all the school had gone silent and that the sorting had stopped. It seemed as if everyone had been listening to him, and he lowered his head in shame. He did not want everyone to start seeing him as more of a role model as he, unfortunately, already was. He just wanted a peaceful year, and the first thing he had managed just as he had arrived at school had been to attract attention. Even though he was ashamed of all the attention bestowed upon him, he hoped that at least it served for something. As the sorting started once again, he looked up into the professors' table and he saw Headmistress McGonagall giving him a curt nod of approval.

He saw that his speech had, at least, served for something, because for the rest of the sorting he saw that every student of every house applauded the new student into Hogwarts, not just into his new house.

When the sorting started, Headmistress McGonagall raised from her seat and went into the stand to give her welcoming speech before the Feast started.

“Welcome all to a new year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. First of all, just a quick reminder for all new and old students; the Forbidden Forest is, as its name says, forbidden. No one can go in, and if at any case someone needed to enter, they should go to Hagrid or any other professor to ask for permission and company. Curfew is at 10 p.m. by which time you all have to be at your common rooms. You are not allowed to leave the grounds of Hogwarts, except for those above third year, which will be able to leave during a Hogsmeade trip. Now, as all the announcements have been made, I would just give you a quick reminder to all. Every form of discrimination is frowned upon, I will not let any of my students to be bullied, jinxed or hexed. If at any time we see a student mistreating another detention will be given, and depending on the gravity of the situation, said student could even be expelled. Times for separation and judgement is over. These are new times, times for unity, to give second chances and to forgive. We do not have to forget, never, but we should always forgive those who deserve to be forgiven, never forget that either. I don’t care if some of you feel that you are doing the school a favour by attacking another student from another house for their past misdeeds, you are not. Everyone here in this school deserves to be here. Those who did wrong had been put away, everyone is in here for a reason, and I will not let another student with a hero complex be detrimental to their education. Now with further ado, please enjoy your meal, and welcome all to another year!”

The feast was a quiet affair, in which only small talk could be heard. Soon the whole school was leaving for their dorms, and only the eighth years could be seen still seated at their table waiting for Headmistress McGonagall to talk to them.

“First of all, welcome back. Now, I know that you are all asking yourselves why you are seated separated to your houses, and why I have asked you to stay behind. Hogwarts is equipped to have seven different years, not eight, but as you could not finish your schooling last year, we have given you the opportunity to return. As you can see only sixteen of you have decided to do so. However, even if you are only sixteen, we do not have extra dorms for you in your Houses. Furthermore, if it had not been for last year, you wouldn’t be here, and you would be able to do as you please, meaning that you wouldn’t have curfews nor limits. Therefore, it has been decided that from Friday night, until Sunday night, you will be able to do as you please. You can visit your families, you can go wherever you want and do whatever you want, with only one condition, to be back on Sunday before 11 p.m. Your curfew on weekdays has also been extended. You will be able to go to Hogsmeade for the whole week, but you all have to be at your dorms before midnight. Do not believe that having these liberties exempts you of your duties as students, we will not tolerate tardiness in any homework presentation, and neither for you to be asleep at class. As I’ve said before, we do not have room for you, and as you have more liberties than your fellow schoolmates, you will not be living with your housemates. We have prepared new sleeping quarters for you all. There are eight different rooms, and as you are only sixteen, you will be roomed in pairs. You can room in however you want, you are all adults, and I don’t care how you organise yourselves; this also means that it can be mixed rooms. You will find a tabloid with a grid for you to organise your different pairs. Lastly, I would like to tell you that I expect a lot from you all, youngsters. As I’ve said before, I won’t tolerate prejudices and less of all from you. You have fought to be where you are now, and I won’t accept pass grudges to continue. I expect you all to be an example of unity for the whole school. Do not disappoint me. Now, do you have any questions for me? If not, you will be able to go to your rooms, after all, I’m sure that it has been a long day.”

Hermione, as always, was the first one to ask a question. – “Headmistress McGonagall, if we are not leaving with our houses, are we still considered from that house, and are we still allowed into our house common room or not?”

“That is a really good question, Miss Granger. You will indeed still be a part of your houses. You will be able to gain or lose points for them, as always, and of course, you will be able to go into your house common room, though I don’t think any of you will be much there. The password to your house will be given your prefects tomorrow. There is a thing, though, that you won’t be able to do with your houses, and I’m deeply sorry for it. It has been considered that as you should not be here, you won’t be able to play quidditch with your housemates, because if not we take the opportunity to play to those in inferior years, and you won’t be able to participate in the competition forming a team of your own, because it would give you too much advantage. However, that does not take that you cannot go to the pitch to train or to have fun, this will always be permitted. I’m deeply sorry to say so, but those who wanted to keep playing won’t be able to do so. Now, do you have any more questions? – this time no one spoke – well, as there is nothing more to say, you can go to your dorms. Your schedules will be handed in tomorrow morning at breakfast. Know that you are expected to seat in the eighth-year table, however, if you want, during breakfast, and only during breakfast, you will be able to sit with your housemates. To enter your dorms, you won’t need a password. Now listen to me closely, because this is important. When you arrive at the door of the common room, you all have to place your hand at the door. It is very important that all of you do this tonight. The door will read your magical signature, and it is through this signature that you will be granted entrance. If you do not touch the door tonight, you won’t be able to enter. The door has been made to hold sixteen signatures, apart from those of the professors which are already embedded, and it won’t open until all sixteen of you have touched the door. Your room is in the third floor, Miss Granger, Mr Potter, I believe that you will be able to guide you classmates there" – she said with a smirk in her face, and with a twinkle in her eyes that rivalled that of Dumbledore – now if you’ll excuse me, I’m really tired. Goodnight to you all.”

Before anyone could realise it, Headmistress McGonagall had left from the Great Hall, laughing quietly to herself.

“How are we supposed to know where the dorms are, we have never been there” – said Harry suddenly.

“What do you mean you have never been there? Then why has McGonagall told you to take us there” – said Zabini.

Hermione, as always the voice of reason, had already deciphered where it was – “Well, it’s quite obvious don’t you think Harry” – at seeing the look of incredulity that he gave her, she decided to give him another little clue – “She has said that our dorms are in the third floor, Harry. Does that ring any bells?” – again, he just gave her a look of incredulity, but she was having fun leading them on, so she continued without telling where it was, and decided to give him a final clue – “Come on, Harry, it is not that hard. Now think quickly, because we managed not to get killed, so I would not like to get expelled, because we broke our curfew the first day, it would be so much worse”.

That seemed to do the trick, a look of understanding crossed Harry’s face and suddenly he started laughing like there was no tomorrow, and Hermione joined him. How could he not have realised that before, it seemed so obvious now.

“Hi, guys, sorry to interrupt this “oh so funny” moment, but could you tell what is happening, and why are you laughing, we still don’t know where the rooms are…” – said Dean. Harry and Hermione both sobered after that and told their schoolmates why they were laughing.

“Oh, sorry, it was just funny, and I couldn’t help myself. Ok so if you follow us, we will lead you to our dorms, and we will be able to go to sleep. We are sorry for making you wait. Though it is true that we didn’t know where the dorms are, of course, Hermione, as always, was the first one to figure our dear Headmistress’ little clue.”

Harry could see in the faces of his classmates, that they still did not understand anything, however, and he and Hermione seemed to know where they were going, they decided to follow them. Soon enough, they were all standing in front of Fluffy’s door.

“Well, here we are. Now if you could all place your hands in the door.” – said Hermione.

However, everyone looked sceptical, surely this old and crooked door could not lead to their living quarters, could it? The first one who was brave enough to voice all their thoughts was surprisingly Draco, who up to that point had barely said anything. – “Granger, not to seem rude or anything, but are you sure that it is here? It certainly does not look like it…”

“Of course it is here. Now place your hands and you will see how we are right”

Hesitantly, and with not many belief, everyone started putting their hands at the door. When all sixteen of them had put their hand on it, a blinding light was emitted, and when it dulled, in place of the old door you could now see a beautiful oak door with Hogwarts symbol embedded in it.

“See, we told you it was here. It must have a glamour in it for those who are not allowed entrance.”

“Well, what are we waiting for, why aren’t you opening the door, Hermione?” – said Neville, after Hermione and Harry had been staring at the door for two minutes straight. This seemed to pull them out of their stupor, and slowly they turned around to look at their classmates who were looking at them expectantly. – “Sorry, bad memories. Could anyone else open the door, I don’t think I will be able to do it…”

“I have the same feeling; I just have the feeling that a soon as I open it Fluffy is going to try and eat me”

“Right? Which is absurd because he has not been here for seven years, but still… it’s just like he has to still be there, with the trapdoor and everything else… please could someone else just open it? We just… we just can’t…”

Harry saw in the faces of his schoolmates, that even though they did not know what they were talking about, that it was a sore topic for them, so they did not pry on. After all, they all had their secrets and their past traumas. Seamus was the one to open the door, and what they saw inside was not what any of them expected. – “Wow, just wow, I was certainly not expecting that” – a girl, Lisa Turpin, or something like that Harry thought, said. It was indeed a magnificent room.

When you entered it was like you were on a balcony. The common room rounded, and you could access it descending through the stairs that were on either side of the balcony. Opposite said balcony, you could find another set of stairs which led to yet another balcony from where Harry supposed you could go to the dorms. The common room held the different House colours, but where one would have thought that blue, red, yellow and green would clash, it was done in such style that it did not. The tables, chairs, couches and the library (yeah, there was a library, unbelievable right?) where done in tones of gold, black, silver and bronze, while those things that were more decorative, like the curtains, and the cushions were done in tones of red, blue, yellow and green. It was simply magnificent. Quietly, they descended the stairs, and when they turned around, they were even more surprised. Under the stairs, you could see five different banners, one for each house, and in the centre the banner of Hogwarts. It was a homey place, which inspired calm, and it couldn’t have been more perfect, at least for Harry. But judging on the faces of his schoolmates, everyone thought the same.

After a few minutes of just staring, finally, someone mentioned the tabloid which McGonagall had mentioned, and they decided to start making the pairs for the dorms. For Harry, it was pretty easy to decide with whom he was going. After all, he had been living with Hermione for more than a year, he was not going to stop doing so now. In the end, it seemed that everyone knew fairly quickly whom they wanted to go with, and under ten minutes, they had all the dorms organized.

They all decided to retire for the day, as it was quite late. They went up the stair to where they supposed the dorms were located and were met with a long corridor, with four doors on either side. They were surprised to see that every door already had a plate with the names of the pairs. It resulted that the paper they had filled was charmed, and the dorms had already been sorted. Harry and Hermione entered their dorm, and they saw that it was almost as big as their room back home. It had two poster beds, with a big table for them to study, and at the far end, there were two different doors. It resulted that they did not only have an en-suite bathroom, which they had never had before in the old rooms but also, they had a walk-in dresser to put all their belongings. To say that Harry was surprised was putting it mildly.

They quietly prepared themselves for bed, and after talking a little bit about their aspirations for the coming year, they went to sleep. After all, tomorrow school started anew, and they could not afford to be asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudos and comments are always welcome :)  
> If anyone has curiosity, I am leaving here the list of pairs for the dorms, so you know who is paired with who, and also who is returning for this year.  
> \- Harry Potter/Hermione Granger  
> \- Draco Malfoy/Blaise Zabini  
> \- Parvati Patil/Padma Patil  
> \- Dean Thomas/Seamus Finnigan  
> \- Hannah Abbott/Susan Bones  
> \- Pansy Parkinson/Theodore Nott  
> \- Neville Longbottom/Ernie McMillan  
> \- Lisa Turpin/Terry Boot  
> I hope to see you soon,  
> Love, Jem


	6. CHAPTER 5: Hermione's Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I'm Back!!  
> Long time no see huh?  
> I'm so sorry for taking so long to post this chapter, I had hoped to do it sooner, but at the beginning, I was swamped with uni exams, and then when they where done, due to everything happening I never got the chance to keep writing.  
> But, finally, the next chapter is here!!  
> I just wanted to say that this story is not, and I do not pretend for it to be abandoned, so just bear with me and with my awful ability to be constant, please. I will try to be somewhat constant, though I do not promise everything, and try to post the next chapter sooner.  
> And without further ado, on with the next chapter, hope you enjoy it.  
> With so much love,  
> Jem x

Shower? Done. Hair Dressing? Done. Teeth Brushed? Done. Glamour? Done.

The school had been going for the last month, and Hermione had never been more concentrated on her workload. True, she had always been a top student, but she had always had a little bit of time for her friends and their “adventures”. Now however, she could not afford the spare time. If she even stopped for a minute, memories started assaulting her, and not of the pleasant type; bodies scattered on the floor, spells ricocheting around her, the last breath of her friends and family, the last laugh of a person, the last scream of terror, memories of battles and loses. When she came here for the begining of the term, she had believed that she would be able to do it, separate Hogwarts from the battlefield that it had been, but it was all too recent, the wounds were still fresh, and even with all the restorations, she could still see all around her the damage done to her beloved school.

Therefore, to keep on coping, Hermione had devoted herself headfirst to the schoolwork. Hours spent in the library or locked in her room studying. She only saw her friends while in class and if she went to the great hall to eat.

Unbeknownst to her, everyone, even the teachers had started worrying for her. She could barely be seen, and even though her notes were better than ever, they could see that she was slowly disintegrating away. Every day she was thinner and thinner, and you could see bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep. However, if you asked her, she always said that she was alright, that she was only studying more to get better grades and do her dream career. She merely brushed you away.

At the beginning of the school term, Harry and Hermione had gone every Sunday to lunch with the family in the Burrow, but now, even Sunday lunch was missed by Hermione. She said that she lost too many hours of study if she went to the Burrow, because they spend there the whole afternoon, when in reality, even though she would not admit it, not even to herself, the thought of so many food was starting to make her sick, she could not stomach that much food, and after so many days of barely eating, the thought of Molly’s food made her stomach grumble in distaste. While in the run she had grown accustomed to eating scraps of food, and since the end of the war she had barely managed to stomach great quantities of food, and every time, she ate less and less.

By the end of September, Hermione was thinner than she had ever been. You could see every single bone protruding from her body. Therefore, to avoid more pestering from her friend she had started applying a Glamour to herself. She woke early in the morning before even Harry started stirring, and the first thing she did was go to the bathroom to shower and to apply her Glamour so that no one could see her deteriorating body. So far, she had managed to do this undetected, but “luck” doesn’t last forever, and even less when you have Mr Lucky sharing a room with you. When Hermione turned around to exit the bathroom and to go to the library once she had picked her books, she found herself in front of Harry, who had a look of hurt, as if being struck, in his face. She hoped that he had not seen her without the Glamour, but judging by his face, today was not her lucky day. His last words, though not very specific, confirmed her suspicions.

“Hermione, we need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this would be it. First chapter in Hermione's POV; how did you like it?  
> I know that it is such a short chapter, but I needed to end it here, so I will just say sorry for leaving you with this little cliffhanger.  
> I hope you enjoyed this short chapter, and I will, hopefully, post the next one soon.  
> If you see any mistakes please tell me. Know that comments and kudos are always welcome.  
> With love,  
> Jem


	7. CHAPTER 6: Happy Doom's Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm back.  
> I know I keep saying this every time, but I'm sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. However, even though I know how I want my story to go, I felt as if I was not in the point in my story to make it go that way, I needed something more, but my muse didn't want to come to me. So, as I didn't want to leave a hole in my story it took me a little bit of time to write it.  
> Furthermore, I just started back with Uni so it's once again hard to find the proper time to sit and write.  
> Eventhough, here it is! The next part of the story!!  
> I hope you really enjoy it, and that you love it as much as I do.  
> Love,  
> Jem

_Harry was at the Burrow for Sunday dinner but there was no one there with him, no one in the kitchen nor the upper floors. He went outside to see if there was someone there, but he could only see decay. Everywhere around him all he could see were withered flowers, and bad weeds. It was as if no one had lived there for years. He kept looking around, but he could see nothing, so he started to wander further away from the now falling house. When he was about to reach a meadow, he saw a lot of people reunited throwing a party, among the many people, he could see a flock of redheads, therefore he sprinted towards them because he was intrigued to know what the Weasley family was doing there, and also what had happened to the Burrow. As he was approaching them, he started to see a big banner with bright bold letters that said – HAPPY DOOM’S DAY! – everyone was celebrating, but Harry had no clue to what. He called for them, and when they saw him, they started running towards where he was. He started hearing everyone shouting but he could not understand what they were saying._

_As they approached him, he started feeling rather uncomfortable. They all looked as if they had somehow rotten. They had ripped clothes, fallen hair, sunken eyes and a very pale look. As they came nearer, he started to comprehend what they were shouting, and it made him even more horrified than he already was. “Murderer”, “Liar”, “Disgrace”, “Freak”, “Your parent would be ashamed of you”, he covered his ears trying to muffle the sounds, but it was as if they were in his head. He turned around to walk away from them and came face to face to all the people he had lost in the war. His parents, Sirius, Remus, Fred, Tonks, Dobby, Moody, and many others who joined in the screaming. “You killed me”, “It was all your fault”, “I wish I had never had you”, “You have done nothing for Teddy”, “I hate you”. Harry fell to his knees bawling his eyes out. He had never cried so hard, not even when Sirius had died. He could not believe what everyone was telling him. They all hated him, and with reason, but hearing them say all those mean things to him, it hurt like hell. And it being his family, old and new, it hurt even more._

_He felt excruciating pain in his heart as if he were about to die. He could not handle it anymore, he just wanted them to stop, but they didn’t. He started screaming for them to stop shouting, but the only thing they did, was come even closer to him. When they were right next to him, everyone started kicking him, just like Dudley had done in his youth. He could not withstand the pain anymore. He felt blackness come to him, and he welcomed it with open arms._

Harry woke up with a start from another nightmare, sweating and hyperventilating and also with swollen eyes from crying so much. Since coming to Hogwarts, they had been much more frequent, there was not a night when he didn’t suffer from a nightmare. However, today's had been more extreme than ever. He had always had the punctual nightmare where everyone blamed him, but never to that degree. He had tried to cope. He had tried, however every day it was getting harder and harder, there was only one thing that alleviated him. He had promised Hermione not to do it, and it broke his heart to break a promise to his sister, but he could not handle that hurt anymore, it was too much, too tough. To see the suffering in everyone eyes, the distaste, the hate that they held, it made him anguished.

Harry took his wand from the nightstand and with a faraway look, he cast a precise _Diffindo_ spell onto his arm. Oh… the relief! The serenity of feeling the blood trickling down his arm, and the feeling of pain in it took away the nagging pain that he felt all day long in his body, in his heart. It was pure and utter relief, it brought him tranquillity and a peace of mind that he had never felt before, only when cutting. However, the feeling of relief ceased soon, so he kept casting more _Diffindo_ ’s until the nagging pain went completely away.

He looked at the time and saw that it was almost Breakfast time. Knowing that Hermione normally was already out of the room at this hour of the day, he opened the curtains of his four-poster bed with caution and looked towards Hermione’s bed. He saw it empty, so he decided to go to the bathroom to shower and wash away all the blood. However, when he entered the bathroom, he stopped dead on his feet. He saw Hermione, freshly showered, with only a bra on. But that was not the problem, oh, no; the problem was that he would see every single bone of her body. He had never seen her so thin, and he had been living with her while on the run and with little to no food, so that was saying something.

Seeing her looking so thin, so defeated, made him forget for an instant about his bleeding arm. When she turned ready to leave, he looked into his sister’s eyes, seeing the fear of being discovered in them, and even though it pained him to see her with so much hurt in her eyes, he said:

“Hermione, we need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, it is a little short, however, it is longer than the last one, so that is something, I suppose.  
> I believe that everyone was expecting a continuation of the last chapter, but I NEEDED to do this.  
> I'm so, so sorry for leaving you again with a cliff hanger, but it had to be done.  
> Did you like the nightmare? I didn't know who to write it and I wasn't a 100% convinced about it, but I wanted this chapter to have a nightmare, and I really couldn't do better than that. So, how did you like it?  
> I hope you really enjoyed this chapter, comments and kudos are always welcome!  
> Love,  
> Jem x


End file.
